Heres the Sugar Loaf Trailhead parking lot Google Maps location to use for beginning your hike to Keyhole Cave. Once downloaded, you can load it into your own trusty device for ease of mind! Las Vegas Heading to Vegas on your Southwest adventure? Generally considered an easy route. Parking: Parking is limited. Follow the obvious path leading to a short downhill climb. Hiking Most of Sedonas caves are found by hiking into red rock wilderness, heres our popular roundup of all 20 best hikes in Sedona, Arizona. Keyhole Cave is southwest facing which means it will fill with light between mid to late afternoon. You still need to be organized and plan effectively otherwise youll spend your days frustrated about not being able to park anywhere. The elevation gain of the Sedona Keyhole Cave is 520 feet. Once you hop on the trail, though, the hike quickly becomes difficult because you have to climb the elevation up to the base of the cave. Arriving early to trailheads is essential for the best chance of getting parked. Winter is a fantastic time to avoid both.Where to stay in Accommodation is expensive in Sedona, but there are plenty of very high quality places to stay including Matterhorn Inn, Lantern Light Inn, Arabella Hotel, Whispering Creek B&B and The Suites at Sedona.Popular things to do Sedona is one of the best places to hike in the US. Was This Post Helpful? You can sit or stand right on the edge and someone behind you can take a photo of you as a silhouette against the light outside the cave. But please be warned, the climb into Keyhole is not easy. On the teacup trail, you will see the majestic Sugarloaf mountain on your right and the views get prettier along with the distinct desert vegetation as you walk along the trail. 1.2K Likes, TikTok video from Desert Sistas (@desert.sistas): " Keyhole Cave via Sugarloaf Trail This hike is located in Sedona, Arizona and is ranked moderate. Find all the transport options for your trip from Brea to Sedona right here. Ropes can come in handy at this point, especially if you are in groups to help one another move around. Read more in our disclosure policy.*. Park at Boynton Canyon Trailhead and walk 2 miles until you reach a big, burnt, black and gray tree trunk. This is a fun outing to scramble up above the cave and drop down the drainage that created the cave. You can click or touch the map to activate, then move around the map to locate each cave. The short and easy hike leading to Raven Caves takes no longer than 10 minutes each way so this area can be explored at any time of day as an addition to other nearby activities. If so, then sign up to The Nature Seeker Newsletter (it's completely free): How to Hike to Vultee Arch in Sedona Without Getting Lost, Fay Canyon Trail in Sedona Why You Need to Hike Here, Best Things to do in Eastern Oregon: 15 Great Places to See, How to Properly Hike The Spencer Trail in Lees Ferry Arizona, How to Find The Glass Beach in Port Townsend Washington, Hamilton Pool Preserve: 5 Major Things You Need to Know, 10 Things to do in South Mountain Reservation NJ. To make your way, you will have to use your hands, feet and core to pull yourself up. It is straight back and looks like a giant gaping hole in the mountainside. Actually getting into the cave requires some rock climbing skills and is not for those who are afraid of heights. Keyhole Cave is the most adventurous, Birthing Cave is the quietest and Soldier Pass Cave has a more exciting trail with other landmarks to enjoy. However, sunrise and early morning is the best time to visit Hideout Cave when its larger east facing window allows the most light in. Subway Cave is one of the harder cave hikes in Sedona because it is 5 miles roundtrip, requires pathfinding and has a steep climb up a bank to enter the cave. At the Sugarloaf Trailhead youre actually able to spot Keyhole Cave way off in the distance. When you see a huge arch at where the rock formation meets green trees on the hillside, this is where you need to begin climbing directly up the bank. You can climb up a left or right approach. Half of the fun is finding the caves in the first place, the rest of the fun is figuring out how to climb into and photograph each of the Sedona caves. In fact, here is a side by side comparison of how the trail should have looked on Alltrails and what it ended up looking like on my end: I say this because not only can it also happen to you, but dont mistake those added red lines of navigation when you have to go back from the hike. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Teacup leads to Sugar Loaf Loop but it also continues on as far as Soldier Pass Trail 1.5 miles over to the east. Ive personally completed the Keyhole Cave hike in Sedona and in this post will be detailing everything you need to know to do it as well. And on the pros and cons end of this hike: The first thing you need to do is find an official trailhead parking area but the thing I learned about this hike is that if you use Google maps to reach it (there is an official Keyhole Cave location), itll take you to the wrong location. Disclosure | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use, Copyright 2023 | Where Are Those Morgans. Most importantly, wear a good pair of hiking shoes that will facilitate an easier hike overall. Once youre parked at Sugar Loaf Trailhead, dont forget to display your America the Beautiful pass or Red Rock Pass. If you enter it into Google Maps it will take you right to it. I knew what it looked like and where it was, I just didnt know how to get to it- now Im glad Ive figured it out! When we hiked Keyhole Cave there was a couple already inside who had rope and dropped it down for us to use just in case. You will begin the hike at Teacup Trail at the right, another name for Sugarloaf. Solider Pass Cave Soldier Pass Trail. Not only will you have to forge your own path through wilderness, but you must also climb into Keyhole Cave using hands, feet and core strength. A rope will help you come down safely. This is the easiest cant miss way to go. The view out of Keyhole Cave is spectacular and you can get far enough back inside the formation to easily frame the background through the cave entrance. After you get down, follow the same trail along the wash until you find the fork that will lead you to the parking lot. Park at the Fay Canyon Trailhead and follow the flat trail for 0.6 miles keeping your eyes on the rock formations to your right side. Here are 4 photos showing the inside of Keyhole Cave as we walked around the cave from left to right looking out: If you climb up the right side you will summit the cave at the place where the most popular instagram photograph is taken. Heres the list of places around Sedona you will need to display either a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass in order to hike. At the base of Keyhole Cave youll find that you need to climb a high, slick wall to get into it. Lets take a quick look at a general packing list for exploring Sedona caves: Here are our top 5 tips for hiking to the Sedona caves: How to get around Sedona is small but youll need a car to access the best hikes to the north and south of town. Karabou Adventure + Travel is a participant of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. You'll start at Sugar Loaf trailhead and see the Keyhole Cave from there, then navigate to it by first going on the Teacup trail, then going off trail to reach it. There is a way to climb out of the upper back cave portion to stand on top of the red rock formation containing the cave. Keyhole Cave is not for the faint of heart(afraid of heights) or beginner hikers as it involves challenging terrains, including climbing very high rocks and navigating through wilderness comprising cacti and rattlesnakes, as there is no maintained official trail. During these seasons you have more chance getting parked up without issue. If you enter it into Google Maps it will take you right to it. At the bottom turn right and you will find the first cave. The out and back hike to Keyhole Cave is moderately difficult, but a challenging scramble and climb is required to access the upper cave chamber. Generally considered a challenging route. Most moderately experienced hikers should be fine, but we would not recommend beginner hikers attempt the hike to Subway Cave. Bus Tours. You can find the exact location of the cave on Google . On this path, you will notice many smaller washes branching off the main one. Its highly likely you already have an annual National Parks pass, which is also known as America the Beautiful or the Interagency Pass. Top ways to experience Teacup Trail and nearby attractions. Required fields are marked *. The cave is southwest facing, which means the gaping hole entrance will flood with more light in the afternoon. You can see Sugar Loaf Mountain looking like a perfect green and brown cone shaped hill in the distance. Fortunately I had vocal help from someone who saw more than I did and told me where to put my hands and feet. Keyhole Cave, Sedona Arizona Super exciting, I found one of Sedona's best kept secrets and it's truly magical! I would not recommend this for anyone scared of heights, who dont have shoes with great grip or for the lesser athletic. See options All photos (629) Top ways to experience Boynton Canyon Trail Recommended Another 1 mile heading north will lead you into a wash and eventually to a very obvious fork split in the trail. Subway Cave is east facing which means you should try to access the cave as early in the day as possible for best light. Heres a summary of the 7 caves and one bonus arch you can visit in Sedona: Before we get started with the best hidden Sedona caves, it is important to touch on etiquette. Which cave or caves should you visit if you only have a one day Sedona itinerary? You are going to hike directly straight ahead beyond the wooden sign heading for the red rock formation on the horizon. Youll take Teacup Trail which starts right at the trailhead. Subway Cave is one of the most photogenic caves you can access in the Sedona area, which explains its popularity on social media and with photographers. I needed to help 3/5 people get up and down who had gone into the cave. Sugar Loaf Trailhead is the best parking lot to use for hiking to Keyhole Cave in Sedona. All the stops we make are close to the Interstate. Are you planning to hike more trails in the area? If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. . With that said, we imagine the cave would look even better later in the day close to sunset when the light softens and has passed beyond directly entering Keyhole Cave. I personally loved this hike, but its not for everyone and I hope these instructions (and warnings) are helpful to you! Hideout Cave, also known as Shamans Cave, is by far the quietest and most secluded cave in Sedona. Inside the cave (maybe its a vortex or magnetic issue), but my GPS started scrambling and adding about another 6 miles to my hike incorrectly. It looks quite far away but it wont take you long to get back. Keyhole Cave Sedona How To Hike To This Adventurous Cave, BEST TIME TO HIKE THE KEYHOLE CAVE SEDONA, THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE HIKING THE KEYHOLE CAVE SEDONA, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE KEYHOLE CAVE IN SEDONA, A Complete Guide To Hiking The Birthing Cave In Sedona, A Complete Guide To Hiking the Subway Cave In Sedona, A Complete Guide To Hiking The Seven Sacred Pools In Sedona, 15 Best Payson Hiking Trails For Waterfalls, Camping And More, How To Easily Hike The Seven Sacred Pools Sedona, 11 Sedona Swimming Holes To Cool Off Amidst Pretty Scapes, Hiking The Doe Mountain Trail In Sedona A total Guide, 5 Breweries In Sedona You Must Visit on your trip, 14 Tucson Sunset Spots To Admire The Stunning Views, 21 Best Swimming Holes In Arizona To Cool Off On Your Trips. As while tricky at least there are significantly better foot and hand holds to use. Getting down is harder than getting up as there is no support to rely on unless you have the ropes. Most people are parking at Sugar Loaf Teacup Trailhead to hike the Sugar Loaf Loop Trail and climb Sugarloaf Mountain. If you have an America the Beautiful Pass, you can use this as well. Youll be traversing in a wash so be aware of the possibility of flash floods. Take rope if one person in your group is a stronger hiker and have them help the others with rope support. Fay Canyon How to hike Fay Canyon Trail to an optional adventure ascent and steep climb to Fay Canyon Arch. Uber has service in Flagstaff but not in Sedona. Read our popular guide on how to plan the perfect 1-7 day Sedona itinerary for ideas on how you can spend up to one week exploring this remarkable red rock landscape. If you have 2WD, you must walk up the 4WD road to begin. Try to go earlier in the day or later in the afternoon. There is a very small parking lot and you are not able to park on the neighborhood streets so it is best to arrive early. Note: My directions in this post may not be the best way to reach the Keyhole Cave, but are the way I found it which seems to be the most direct and less confusing. Instead, go direct and keep following lightly beaten paths where possible. Anyway, once you get into the cave, if you want to reach the iconic area where people sit inside the cave with views of the Sedona mountains outside, thats going to require you climb about 30 feet up and there are at least 2 ways I saw it being done. The Seven Sacred Pools Sedona is one of the popular stops for those hiking Soldiers Pass Trail or the, Read More Keyhole Cave Sedona How To Hike To This Adventurous CaveContinue. If you only plan to hike to caves in Sedona and no other trails, you will need to display a pass for the following caves: You can buy a Red Rock Pass at this specific recreation.gov site in advance, or you can buy one from a ticket machine in select parking lots. We used the buddy system and went one after another, lending a hand and passing the pack up and down. Keyhole Cave Sedona FAQs Where Is Keyhole Cave Sedona? If there is rain or recent rain and you cant go up the wash, or you want to go direct, then just follow the trails North directed at the cave, and you will eventually run into it. During these times getting parked at trailheads can be a real challenge. Rome2rio displays up to date schedules, route maps, journey times and estimated fares from . Kachina Cave is a tall teardrop shaped cave located atop a steep and unmarked spur trail around one third of the way up the Boynton Canyon hike in Sedona. Early morning the cave will be dark and you wont get those vibrant orange colors. Keyhole Cave is one of only a few caves that are actually geotagged on Google. Alternatively, you can try parking at Andante Trailhead nearby, which is also a small parking lot. The trail was hard to follow, we didnt know exactly where it started or ended, and we ended up bushwhacking and being way off of where we needed to be. Devil's Bridge Trail Stats. Alternatively, if you hire a jeep or own a 4WD vehicle, you can get a permit to drive FR 9904 which leads to a parking area just 0.1 miles from the trail split leading to Soldier Pass Cave. Dont forget, there are also several beautiful hikes along the same Teacup trail you start to reach Keyhole Cave. Park At Sugar Loaf Trailhead And Display Or Buy A Pass, Hiking The Wash Vs The Direct Route To Keyhole Cave, What To Pack For Hiking Keyhole Cave Trail. Once youre done exploring this area, its just a matter of heading back down south to reach the parking lot to complete this hike. Yes, the cave hikes in Sedona are pet friendly but all dogs must be kept on a short leash at all times. It is best to get down on the right side, the same way you went up. Pin It For Your Hike! 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